Isle of Man – Postage due stamps – Cotswold cover – 1973

First day cover details

FDC image	No image uploaded
FDC reverse image	No reverse image uploaded
Country	Isle of Man
Country code	IM
Issue title	Postage due stamps — printing (b)
Date of issue	1 September 1973
Withdrawal or invalidation date	Not specified
Stamp type	Special-purpose
Stamp subtype	Postage due
Theme or subject	First Isle of Man postage due stamps; second printing
Text credit
Designer or artist	Questa
Printer	Questa
Printing process	Lithography
Colours	Red and black, with a denomination-specific third colour
Paper and gum
Perforation	14½ × 13½
Stamp dimensions
Issue format	Eight stamps; sheets of 100 (10 × 10)
Number of stamps	8
Cover type	First day cover (dealer description)
Cover producer	Cotswold Covers
Cover reference
Limited edition	No
Edition limit	N/A
Copy number	N/A
Cachet or cover design
Addressed
Postmark type	Circular date stamp
Postmark location	Douglas, Isle of Man
Postmark date	10 September 1973
Postmark inscription
Postmark notes	The dealer identifies a Douglas circular date stamp dated 10 September 1973 and describes the item as a second-printing FDC. This date differs from the catalogue date of 1 September 1973; printing (b) is also known used from mid-August onwards.
Postmark image	No postmark image uploaded
Signed	No
Signed by	N/A
Signature details	N/A
Information sheet included	Yes
Information materials	Insert card recorded with the dealer's example
Information sheet title
Information sheet image	No image uploaded
Information sheet reverse image	No reverse image uploaded
Information sheet notes	An insert card is mentioned in the dealer listing. Its title, contents and reverse have not been documented here; no copy is held in the collection.
Certificate of authenticity included	No
Certificate of authenticity image	N/A
Certificate of authenticity reverse image	N/A
FDC owned	No
Condition
Collection Comment	Wanted. Cotswold cover dated 10 September 1973 with all eight denominations of printing (b), bearing A after 1973. No specimen or scan is held in the collection.

Image notice: Images on these pages may depict copyrighted stamp designs, cover artwork, text or photographs. Unless otherwise stated, they are scans of physical items in the collection of PhantomSteve. Rights in the depicted material remain with their respective rightsholders. See Copyrights.

This wanted record is for the Cotswold Covers envelope dated 10 September 1973 bearing all eight denominations of printing (b) of the first Isle of Man postage due issue, SG D1 to SG D8. Cover Collecting describes an example as a second-printing FDC with a Douglas circular date stamp and an insert card.

No specimen is held in the collection. The condition and address status of the dealer's example are not recorded as characteristics of a collection copy.

Printing and cover dates

Stanley Gibbons dates printing (a) to 5 July 1973 and printing (b) to 1 September 1973. Printing (b) is identified by the letter A added after 1973 at the foot of the stamp. The catalogue also records examples of printing (b) used from mid-August onwards.

The cover's cancellation date of 10 September 1973 is therefore recorded separately from the catalogue's printing date of 1 September. Although the dealer describes the item as a first day cover, the evidence cited here does not establish 10 September as the first day of availability or use of printing (b).

The letter A printed on these stamps identifies printing (b); it is not an additional suffix to their SG catalogue numbers. The separate catalogue number IM-SG-D3a identifies the 2p offset variety, which is not recorded as present on this cover.

Stamp production

Questa designed and printed the stamps using lithography. Perforation is 14½ × 13½. Each denomination was issued in sheets of 100 (10 × 10), with plate numbers 1A and 1B, each ×3. Imprints appear in the right-hand corner of the bottom margin and the left-hand corner of the top margin.

Stamps on this cover

Image	Identifier	Face value	Subject	Format	Other catalogues	Notes
No image	IM-SG-D1	½p		Stamp		Red, black and bistre-yellow; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D2	1p		Stamp		Red, black and cinnamon; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D3	2p		Stamp		Red, black and light apple-green; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D4	3p		Stamp		Red, black and grey; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D5	4p		Stamp		Red, black and carmine-rose; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D6	5p		Stamp		Red, black and cobalt; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D7	10p		Stamp		Red, black and light lavender; printing (b), with A added after 1973.
No image	IM-SG-D8	20p		Stamp		Red, black and pale turquoise-green; printing (b), with A added after 1973.

Related first day covers

• Isle of Man – Postage due stamps – Official cover – 1973 — all eight denominations of printing (a); dated 5 July 1973
• Isle of Man – Postage due stamps – Mercury cover – 1973 — all eight denominations of printing (a); dated 5 July 1973